For flash fiction, poetry, and other short works.

Hi! I'm Keiko O'Leary from Thinking Ink Press. I design and edit literary postcards, Instant Books (mini books folded from a single sheet of paper), and other publications in non-traditional formats. I want to publish more of these specialty publications.

Types of pieces I'm looking for:

• For postcards: (a 4 x 6" flat card that can be sent through the mail) poems or flash stories you wish someone would send you in the mail. Story length is about 100 to 300 words. Poetry length is 30 lines or fewer.
• For Instant Books: (a mini book folded from a single sheet of paper) standalone stories around 500-1,300 words in length with strong narrative arcs.
• For a 4-page flexagon: (A flexagon is a flat paper object that you can fold and twist to reveal hidden surfaces.) Stories or poems that can be divided into four pages and read as a loop, with no enforced beginning or end. Word limit is about 130 words per page, or about 16 lines of poetry per page, but shorter is better.

My Perspective and Preferences (but send anything you think matches the formats)

• A poem is a ceremony that changes the reader. Send me dangerous poems that will change me for the better.
• A story is what happens, how that changes someone, and why it matters to the rest of us. Send me stories whose endings knock me down and compel me to read the whole thing again.
• A book is a complete text that comes in its own wrapper. I see all of these formats as books, just with different wrappers than usual. Send me a piece that works as a book.

Payment

We pay our authors for everything we publish. As of 2025, we pay a flat fee of $20 per acceptance. We also give you complimentary copies.

What and When to Submit

• Submit only when the yellow box above says submissions are open.
• Send maximum one submission each month the call is open.
• For stories, a submission is one story.
• For poetry, a submission is 1-5 poems.
• Reprints are encouraged.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay.
• Keep to the word and line guidelines described above.

How to Prepare Your Submission File(s)

• We prefer Microsoft Word documents, but we also accept RTF, PDF, OpenOffice, or text (.txt).
• If the meaning of your piece depends on precise formatting, please send a PDF or JPG.
• About fonts: Except in special cases (as above), use a common, legible font. Whatever your word processor automatically selected is fine. (If you feel strongly that your piece should be published in a certain font, we can talk about that after your piece is accepted.)
• Use standard manuscript format (Shunn is fine) or something reasonably close.
• For images, please attach .JPG file(s) that are no larger than 5MB (unless a larger file is required to make details understandable).
• Name each document using the following pattern: "Author Name - Title of the Piece"
• It's fine to send poems in separate documents, named as above. If you prefer to send them all in a single document, name it "Author Name - poems - Title of First Poem" (to match the email subject—see below for examples)

How to Prepare Your Submission Email

• Write your subject line using the following pattern. We receive a lot of submissions, and it helps so much if you do this exactly as described.
• For stories, use this pattern: Keiko’s Calls: story: "<your story title>". Examples:
  • Keiko's Calls: story: "The Last Gold Moon"
  • Keiko's Calls: story: "Turing's Rebellion"
• For poems, use the pattern: Keiko’s Calls: # poem(s): ">first poem title or collection title<". Examples:
  • Keiko's Calls: 1 poem: "Blue Bicycles"
  • Keiko's Calls: 5 poems: "The Recursive Planet"
• For flexagons, use the pattern: Keiko’s Calls: flexagon: ">your piece title or identifying phrase<". Examples:
  • Keiko's Calls: flexagon: "Time's Wristwatch"
  • Keiko's Calls: flexagon: four connected poems about ADHD
• Attach your file(s) to the email
• It's nice to include some sort of cover letter in the body of your email, but don't agonize over it. If you have a standard cover letter, I'm happy to receive it. If want to include a more personal note, that's great too, and if you have a bio please include it. But if the cover letter is getting you stuck, "Dear Keiko, here's my submission. Thanks, >your name< is enough. What I care about most is your work.
• Send your submission to queries@ThinkingInkPress.com

What If I Have Questions?

Feel free to email me at keiko@ThinkingInkPress.com. But seriously, usually "I have questions" means "I'm nervous about submitting." Why not just send in your piece? I'm a nice person, and I'll be glad you sent it. Even if I don't publish it, you'll have made a good first impression by being courageous, and then I'll know who you are for your next submission.

I look forward to seeing your work soon!

Your friend in literature,